July 2003 
Newsletter |
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New Clients  Hodges Helps Promote Tax Amnesty Program 
The Virginia Department of Taxation is awfully good at collecting taxes, but as it made plans to undertake a tax amnesty
program - giving tax delinquents a chance to catch up on their back state taxes by waiving penalties and half the interest -
it realized it would need help in publicizing the program. And so it turned to The Hodges Partnership as its media relations
partner.
THP helped to kick off the 63-day amnesty with a news conference at the State Capitol at which Tax Commissioner Ken Thorson announced the details of the program. All three local TV stations attended the event, as did cameras from Charlottesville and Roanoke as well as numerous print outlets. That morning, prominent stories appeared on the front page of The Richmond Times-Dispatch and in The Washington Post, Virginia Pilot, and Roanoke Times. The Associated Press also carried the story to outlets across the state, generating additional print, radio and TV coverage. THP also prepared an op/ed piece for the tax commissioner, which ran in the Times-Dispatch; so did a supportive editorial. And that was only the beginning. During the week to follow, THP sent Tax Letter Man - the program's letter-shaped icon created by advertising partner Barber Martin - on the road. The seven-foot-tall walking envelope, featured in TV and print advertising, made stops in Norfolk, Roanoke, Richmond and Washington, D.C., appearing in the media in each market. In the weeks to follow, Tax Letter Man could be found hob-knobbing at events around the state, from the State Fair in Richmond to the Neptune Festival and parade in Norfolk to the Taste of D.C. Emergence Survey Receives National Attention 
Emergence, the Richmond-based brand consulting firm, has become a heretic within the world of established advertising. Among
its core philosophies: traditional advertising does not work. To help reinforce this brand position, The Hodges Partnership
commissioned a first-of-its-kind survey - how effective are company tag lines? More than 1,000 Americans were read a list
of 22 company slogans - such as Always Low Prices, Drivers Wanted and We're With You - and asked to name the company to
which they belong. The results were miserable. Only six companies had a recognition rate higher than 10 percent
(including Wal-Mart and Volkswagen, the first two above), while three companies scored a perfect zero, including Circuit
City (We're With You).
THP generated broad coverage of the results beginning with a major story in USA Today that appeared on the front page of the Money section. Subsequent pickup included Dow Jones and the AP, leading to stories throughout the U.S. and Canada. Emergence CEO Kelly O'Keefe also did interviews on CNNfn and on "The Big Story" on Fox News channel. Local Clients Share the Spotlight A roundup of news coverage for several of THP's Richmond-area clients includes:
Sarah Marchetti Joins The Hodges Partnership 
The Hodges Partnership added its fifth full-time employee in September. We are pleased to formally welcome Sarah Marchetti,
who made the all-important leap from summer intern to public relations professional. Sarah graduated from the University of
Virginia in May with a degree in English Literature. Before joining THP, she interned for University Relations at U.Va, WVIR
in Charlottesville and WWBT in Richmond. She also wrote for the student newspaper, The Cavalier Daily and was involved in
her sorority. In her free time, she enjoys reading, shopping, skiing and cheering on the 'Hoos in football and basketball.
This Month: Jon and Josh on... 2007
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